Artist Statement

We live in a world where beauty, comfort, safety, and abundance have increasingly been peeled back to reveal dangers of unprecedented proportions. The possibility of suffering harm when we expect it the least has become the reality of life. In my works, I seek to expose the menace hidden behind the gleaming exteriors, and bring it to the surface so that the fear of unexpected peril can be confronted and resolved.

For my sculptures, I chose glass and plastic-the materials that are commonly perceived as perfect surfaces, smooth and beautiful. I then apply physical and chemical processes to transform them so they begin to manifest dangerous and unexpected elements. I immerse glass in flames of varying intensities to activate metals embedded in it, and change its color from clear to blood-red. I use heat to liquefy the glass and alter its shape to uncover aggression behind its fragile beauty. I inject dye into resin during different stages of its curing process to reveal that plastic is not just a playful, docile material. It can trap and embalm. In my photographs of my sculptures, myself, and the situations I invent, I use light to create shadows and unmask the presence of a menacing double behind an object or a person. I use color to access the emotions that may have been hidden because they are destructive or considered unacceptable.

In my works, I manifest the unpleasant, and place it side by side with the beautiful. By doing so, I acknowledge that binary opposites exist within each person, place, and event. Once the danger is no longer hidden, it can be accepted and its ability to frighten and intimidate can be stripped away.